My husband didn’t commit suicide, says Likoni victim widow
The widow of the man whose vehicle plunged into the Likoni ferry channel now wants the government to investigate her husband’s death, saying claims he committed suicide are far-fetched and baseless.
Speaking to the People Daily yesterday at her home in Vanga estate in Likoni, Ruth Mueni said the government was quick to conclude that her husband, John Mutinda, committed suicide even before recording a statement from any of the family members.
She refuted a Saturday statement by government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna that her husband was mentally disturbed.
“The government spokesperson was so quick to point out that my husband committed suicide. How did he conclude that while he did not even say a word to me while I was at the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) headquarters on Saturday...
Let him allow the investigative agencies to conclude investigations and establish the cause of death,” she said.
Seal gaps
Mutinda, 46, was running a clearing and forwarding firm in Mombasa. The couple have three children; a son who did his KCSE exam this year and twin boys aged five.
Mueni yesterday recounted how her husband woke up at around 4.30am on Saturday and started yelling “siji siji” (I am not coming, I am not coming).
Her husband’s screams, she said, woke her up and she tried to shake him back into his senses as he appeared to be in a trance, but he continued shouting the same words.
“Upon waking up, he told me that his father, who died in 2012, wanted him to go to a well in his home at Kitui Central since he needed to talk to him from there.
I asked him to pray, however,he told me he didn’t want any more prayers since his father urgently wanted him hence he had to rush home,” she said.
Mueni said her attempts to hide the car keys from him were futile after he turned violent. She added that she had not quarrelled with him and dismissed claims that prior to the accident she had fought with her husband.
Mutinda’s death at the Likoni ferry crossing channel yet again puts KFS on the spot for failing to seal existing gaps to boost the safety of motorists, the ferries as well as on-foot pedestrians.
